Dewar flasks (or simply “Dewars”) used in connection with sensing systems are designed to balance a number of competing objectives, including line-of-sight stability, high thermal isolation, reduced cool-down times, thermal stability at temperature, and cold shielding effectiveness. Traditional Dewar designs, which have evolved from those developed in the 1950s, conventionally include a cold shield aligned with the optical axis of the detector and a cryostat component (e.g., a cryostat enclosure) similarly aligned adjacent the backside of the detector.
Improved resolution and field-of-view requirements have led to a vast increase in the number (and thus mass) of the sensing elements within the detector assembly. As the mass of the detector system increases, so does the associated thermal and mechanical mass of the system. At the same time, the trend toward longer cold shields for lower background radiation undesirably increases the time necessary to achieve steady-state thermal conditions. Furthermore, conventional systems typically depend on the cryostat bore to provide structural stiffness, which must be balanced against the degree of thermal isolation provided.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved and compact Dewar flask designs. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.